In many cases thin contacting wires are used in order to connect the package leads to the metallic contact areas on the surface of a semiconductor body. Thus, in a known contacting system the wire is unwound from a supply reel and is fed through the bore of a capillary. The end of the wire projecting from the tip of the capillary, which end is formed in many cases in the shape of a ball, is then aligned onto the surface of the contact area of the semiconductor body while under microscopic observation with the aid of so-called micromanipulators and is firmly connected to the contact area by thermocompression. Thus the wire, which usually comprises gold, is pressed on to the assigned contact area of the semiconductor body at temperatures of approximately 350.degree. C. A contact which is of high value electrically and is mechanically stable is formed by deforming the ball into a nailhead thermocompression bond. Then in the known method the capillary is raised from the semiconductor surface and passed to a package lead to which the contacting wire is firmly mechanically connected in a second thermocompression step. The capillary is then raised an appropriate distance, and a flame is used to sever the wire and also to form a new ball below the capillary opening. This method of lead attachment is generally designated as "nailhead thermocompression bonding".
In the described method of contacting, which is advantageous in itself, each metallic contact area arranged on the semiconductor surface must be connected to its associated package lead in a special operating process. As the surfaces of the contact areas are extremely small, each contacting step requires a new manual adjustment and a largely manual control of the contacting process.